Standing valve for deep-well pumps



" May 26, 1925.

V. P. KILL sunmue VALVE FOR DEEP WELL PUMPS Filed Dec. 13, 1924 27;: 50% m M g s [five/3Z0) cei Z i' gizz Patented May 26, 1925.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VINCENT P. KILL, OELAWTON, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO HENRY J. MULLER, OF OKLAHOMA. CITY, OKLAHOMA, AND ONE-THIRD TO ORRIN J- GASTER,

OF LAWTON', OKLAHOMA.

STANDING VALVE FOR DEEP-WELL PUMPS.

Application filed December 13, 1924 Serial No. 755,742.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT P. KILL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lawton, in the county of Comanche and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Standin Valves for Deep-Well Pumps, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to standing valves for deep well pumps, and more particularly to a standing valve adapted for use in conjunction with oil wells.

It is well known to those familiar with the art that standing valves of deep oil well pumps, where a considerable gas pressure is met with and where the oil bearing sand is finely divided, often fail due first to forma-' tion of gas pressure in the well and second to sanding up of the working valve. While this latter cause .is not always the result of the immediate inoperation of the valve, collection of sand' about the standing valve causes two difiiculties in operation of the pump. In the first place, the sand in its pas sage through the valve has a tendency to injure the seat of the check valve employed in the standing valve and then settles about the standing valve causing the same to stick and rendering the same very difficult to remove when the action of the sand upon the valve seats is continued to a point where the valve becomes inoperative to seal the lower end of the working barrel. Secondly, sand passing through the standing valve tends to gather against the working; valve causing the same to stick and the leathers thereof to wear rapidly.

Heretofore these standing valves have usually been constructed in the form of a barrel about which are mounted a plurality of leather packing rings differentiated from the cups employed upon the working barrel. and the sand working about the edges of these packing rings causes the same to become very firmly engaged with the wall of the working barrel so that it is necessary in order to remove the valve to first remove the working-barrel from the well. As these wells are often three-thousand feet or over in depth, the cost and time consumed in such an operation are considerable. When it is further considered that these valves must be removed as often as twice a week, it would downwardly tapering valve seat 13, the

is such that the collection of the sand will g not cause the sand to adhere to the walls of the working barrel, and which is so formed that t may be provided with a plurality of check valves so thatuipon inoperation of one of the check valves the other may continue to operate, thus extending the life of the valve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined sand trap and gas anchor preventing the action of both gas and sand upon the valve and deflecting the sand to prevent its passage through the check valves of the standing valve.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character the parts of which are readily separable and replaceable, and in which, in so far as possible, du-

plication of the sections is provided thereby materially reducing the cost both of manufacture and maintenance.

-These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustrationis shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view show ing a standing valve constructed in accordance with my invention arranged within the working barrel of a well;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the standing valve removed. 1

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 indioates the usual working barrel of an oil well pump, 11 the lower collar of the working barrel by means of which the perforated screen or supporting pipe 12 extending to the bottom of the well is connected to the lower end of the working barrel. The lower collar 11 is, as in the usual construction, provided with a urpose of which will presently appear. Ihe valve constructed in accordance with my invention includes upper and lower crowns 14 and 15, upper and lower barrel sections 16 and 17, and a lower seating valve 18 tapered for engagement in the tapered seat 13 of the collar 11. The upper barrel section connects the upper and lower crowns, while the lower 29 operating barrel section connects the lower seating valve with the lower end of the upper crown.

Each barrel section 16 and 17 comprises a body portion externally and internally screw-threaded upon its upper end, as indicated at 19 and 20, and having upon its exterior surface, below the threaded portion 19, an outwardly directed shoulder 21 which in the upper barrel section abuts the lower end of the upper crown and in the lower barrel section abuts the lower end of the lower crown. Immediately below this upper end, the outer surface of each barrel section is provided with a cup leather spreading shoulder 22 against which may be seated a cup leather 23. The barrel sections are preferably of a length accommodating, in addition to theleather 23, a washer 24 and a second leather or lower leather 25. The lower end of each barrel section is exteriorly screw-threaded, as at 26. In the upper barrel section this threaded lower end is engaged by the upper end of the lower crown which also serves to hold the cup leather 25' in position. In the lower barrel section the threaded lower end is engaged by the upper end of the lower seating valve 18 which also engages the lower leather 25.

The interior threading of the upper end of the barrel sections is for the purpose of mounting therein removable check valve seats 27, each having coacting therewith a valve 28 having an elongated grooved stem through the bore 30 of the valve seat. Each crown 14: or 15 is provided with a transversely extending limiting element preferably in the form of a round brace rod, indicated at 31. against which the valve engages before the lower.

end of the stem thereof has disengaged from the bore of its seat, thus preventing sticking or displacement of the valves.

It will be obvious that by the arrangement above described the valves are provided with vertically spaced sets of cup leather packings, one carried by each section. Sand passing upwardly through the body of the standing valve and then settling within the working barrel about the valve will have a tendency, instead of working about the edges of the cup leather, to collect between the upper cup leather and the adjacent face of the working barrel, thus forcing this cup leather out and causing the same to more tightly seal against the side walls of the working barrel. The amount of sand which passes downwardly beyond this first cup leather,

will be but slight and the amount passing the second cup leather of the first series will be practically negligible. The sand. therefore, cannot act upon the lower cup leathers to destroy thesame, and the seal effected by this lower set of cup leathers will be main tained for a much greater period than if the cup leathers were arranged in series and closely together as in the ordinary construe- In order that sanding up of the valve may be still further reduced, I provide in the lower end of the lower seating valve 18 a threaded opening with which is engaged a downwardly extending tube 32 of less diameter than the screen 12. Adjacent its upper end this tube is provided with a plurality of perforations 33, through which the oil may enter, and has its lower end closed,.as at 34. The screen 11 is provided with perforations 35 which extend to a point below the unperforated portion of the tube 32. The openings 33 are restricted in number so that the volume of gas which may pass therethrough is materially limited and thus this device forms what may be termed a gas anchor. Since the openings of the member 32 are arranged at the adjacent end thereof and the openings of the tubing screen 11 extend below the lower end of the member- 32 oil may enter through this screen at any point but may only pass to the member 32 adjacent the upper end thereof, therefore, the main current of oil passing to the valves will be through the upper openings of the screen 11 with the result that since the oil enters through restricted openings and passes into a relatively large space, dead spots are formed through which sand carriedin the oil may be precipitated to the bottom of the screen 11 and thus not pass into the valve. These additions may, of course, be employed with an ordinary standing valve but have been found in practice to be most eflicient when employed with a valve of the ty above described. 1

I claim:--

1. A standing valve for the working barrels of oil wells comprising upper and lower crowns, upper and lower barrel sections and a lower seating valve, a valve operating within each of the upper and lower crowns, said upper barrel section connecting the upper and lower crowns, the lower barrel section connecting the lower crown and said lower seating valve, each of said barrel sections supporting packing upon the outer surface thereof for engagement with" the walls of said upper barrel section connectin the upper and lower crowns, the lower arrel section connecting the lower crown and said lower seating valve, each of said barrel sections supporting ,packing upon the outer surface thereof for engagement with the walls of the Working barrel, each of said working barrels being provided at its upper end with a removable valve seat for the valve of the crown connected with the upper end thereof. v

3. A standing valve for the working barrels of oil wells comprising upper and lower crowns, upper and lower barrel sections and a lower seatin within each of fhe upper and lower crowns, said upper barrel section connectin the upper and lower crowns, the lower arrel end of the pipe b valve, a valve operating section connecting the lower crown and said lower seating valve, each of said barrel sections supporting packing upon the outer'surface thereof for engagement with the walls of the working barrel, said upper and lower crowns, upper and lower barrel section siand lower seating valve combining to form a conduit for the passage of oil, and a pipe .en-' gaged with the lower end of the lower seating valve and projecting therebelow, the lower end of said ipe being closed, the upper low the lower seatingvalve being provided with a plurality of openings through the wall thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

VINOENTP. KILL. 

